The Ontario legislative assembly just unanimously passed The All Families Are Equal Act, a new family law that offers a more inclusive understanding of what makes 'family.' This much-anticipated legal reform marks a leap forward in Ontario's recognition of a broader range of families.

The plaintiffs' constitutional challenge is straightforward: if the government does not provide timely medical treatment, then it cannot at the same time legally prohibit patients who are suffering on long wait lists from taking control of their own health care and arranging treatment privately.

Ecojustice has worked with federal environmental assessment (EA) law in its various forms for more than 20 years. These experiences have given us many clear examples of how Canada's EA process is broken and in need of major changes.

Consuming drugs and getting behind the wheel of a car denotes serious carelessness. The legislation that I have tabled in the Senate, Bill S-230, would allow police in Canada to use a non-invasive roadside saliva-testing device that would detect illegal drugs in a driver's body.

The 23,500 square foot production facility in Paris, Ontario started off early in cultivation. As soon as their license to grow was granted, work began straight away. As part of a fully integrated medical marijuana and health care company, high standards must be held to carry on business under the regulations.

In May 2015, the French government did something incredible: the National Assembly unanimously passed a law forcing large supermarkets to donate unsold food to charities. That's how the #WhatAWaste campaign -- a grassroots effort to pressure Canada's political leaders to follow France's example -- was born.

Even before Canada's Premiers departed Whitehorse on Friday, media coverage was applauding a "ground-breaking" and "historic" agreement on internal trade within Canada. Not so fast. One key omission was immediately evident. When it comes to alcohol, the agreement will establish "a working group on alcoholic beverages, which will explore opportunities to improve trade in beer, wine and spirits across Canada."

While law societies and bar associations across the country address the issue though awareness, education, and workshops, comparatively little has been done to examine and address how the current structure of legal services can contribute to burnout. Could we innovate less stressful careers?

The reality is that crime fuels a multi-billion dollar industry; I am not talking about the money generated from those who commit crimes, but the system designed to stop them: The Justice System. Not only does it contribute to our economic system but it actually gives the majority of its participants a purpose and an identity. How many lawyers do you meet and don't learn of their occupation within minutes? Officers and Judges are no different: They define themselves by their roles in the system.

No one will ever know whether Ghomeshi would have been convicted had his accusers been more honest and candid. All we can say is that the Crown's case would have been far stronger. Knowing that they will be judged in light of such "rape myths," it may seem sensible -- even obvious -- to a great many complainants that certain pieces of information should be managed so that they conform to the stereotype.

While law makers deliberate over how to develop the best regulatory regime in light of the Supreme Court's direction, it's important to remember that every one of us is implicated in -- and responsible for -- the shared human endeavour that is governance through law.

Over the last few years, as sharing of personal information on social media has become more ubiquitous, many personal injury cases in Ontario are being decided on evidence gathered from plaintiffs' social media accounts, which provide 'metadata' creating a time and location stamp of a user's online activity. And it's all admissible as evidence in court.

Closing arguments have been made in the Jian Ghomeshi trial. The case, everyone agrees, turns on the credibility of the three complainants. How will the trial judge decide whether he accepts their testimony?

Since 2009, Health Canada has taken the position that e-cigarettes containing nicotine are illegal. But out on the streets, Health Canada is simply being ignored. There's a brisk trade in vaping supplies including nicotine. Much of the new legislation might be found unconstitutional if challenged in the courts. Nicotine addicts who still use tobacco as a delivery method are suffering harm to their health that now appears to be quite unnecessary.

Alone, this law may not directly change much; it should go hand in hand with the support of more institutional and legal framework aimed at providing women with space and time to pursue their education and general development free of external pressures.

As of 2014, 143 out of 195 countries legally guarantee equality between men and women. I wish I could say that gender equality, or any equality, enforced by the law translates into equality in the minds of people. Deeply rooted problems preventing true parity have been promoted by patriarchy for years, passed on from one generation to another disguised as 'tradition.'

If allowed to stand, the decision will further constrain the ability of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) to ensure that most serious environmental and human health impacts associated with major industrial projects, including mines, dams and tar sands operations, are addressed.

I was a true believer in the war on drugs, but at the end of the day, as a physician, I have believe in an evidenced-based approach. The evidence shows that incarceration doesn't work, and decriminalization with offers of treatment do. It's time to ignore dogma and act in the best interests of Canadians. It's time to end this war.

Marineland has launched lawsuits targeting myself, former orca trainer Christine Santos and animal care supervisor Jim Hammond. My latest round of legal bills totaled more than I will earn in this year -- $100,000. Our lawsuits are shining examples of the urgent need for the anti-SLAPP legislation that is Bill 52: Protection of Public Participation Act. It is unbearable to think that this historic piece of legislation -- as it is currently written -- will not apply to the very people who have largely inspired it. Why is the province turning its back on us and leaving us behind? Where is the procedural fairness for those of us who are already proceeding with unfair cases before the courts in Ontario?

Last week, the Yukon Court of Appeal heard arguments about the future of the massive Peel River watershed, and about the meaning and application of modern aboriginal treaties. Will this land be mostly protected from development, as the planning commission decided after extensive aboriginal consultation? Or will it mostly be used for resource extraction, as the Yukon government wants? So soon after the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, will First Nations interests again be sacrificed for the economic gain of others?

I'm sure that most of you have experienced the feeling of having to be somewhere by a certain time, only to get on the road and face terrible traffic and road closures due to car accidents. A question that I get asked frequently is "which car is at fault for my car accident?" While in some scenarios, the answer is easy, usually the answer is...it depends.

I went to law school to equip myself with the tools to make a difference in the world -- something that many of us want for our lives. Some people do it through teaching, others by volunteering, and others by the way they run their businesses. I do it through practicing law.

John Carpay's condemnation of the Ontario Superior Court alleges that 'half-truths' have been relied on to scuttle Trinity Western University's quest to establish a law school. Ironically, Mr. Carpay's own analysis is built upon factual and legal mischaracterizations. These are designed to stoke suspicions of a nonexistent anti-Christian bias among legal institutions and to undermine the crucial public policy considerations invoked by the Law Society of Upper Canada in denying TWU's accreditation. The dispute surrounding TWU is about the public interest obligations of law societies to promote equal access to the profession, not about meddling with university policies or religious doctrines.